


Cold

by elirwen



Series: summer pornathon 2014 [4]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sharing Body Heat, Sharing Clothes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-30
Updated: 2014-08-30
Packaged: 2018-02-15 09:47:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2224506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elirwen/pseuds/elirwen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s snowing when he finds him, the chill of winter biting even through his coat.</p><p>Kneeling in a puddle of half-melted snow, his hands and ankles tied to a stake, he looks up at Arthur defiantly, even though he’s swaying with exhaustion, his whole body shaking. </p><p>“Here to finish the job?” he asks, coughing. If it wasn’t for the rope around his wrists he’d fall to the cold ground.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cold

**Author's Note:**

> written for the fourth week of summer pornathon 2014

It’s snowing when he finds him, the chill of winter biting even through his coat.

Kneeling in a puddle of half-melted snow, his hands and ankles tied to a stake, he looks up at Arthur defiantly, even though he’s swaying with exhaustion, his whole body shaking. 

“Here to finish the job?” he asks, coughing. If it wasn’t for the rope around his wrists he’d fall to the cold ground. 

xxx

The villagers won’t let them stay. 

“Take the devil with you!” they yell. “He’s the one who brought this on us!”

The winter has been long and people started looking for someone to blame. This young man isn’t the first victim of people’s fear. Probably won’t be the last.

Wrapped in Arthur’s cloak, he doesn’t raise his gaze from the ground, unable to look at the angry faces of his former neighbours, people he thought were his friends. 

Arthur doesn’t know who tosses the first stone, only hears the sharp cry as it hits the man’s leg. He’s ready to step in, reveal his identity, but then the next rock stops right in front of the man’s head, hovering there while his irises shine bright gold. 

“I helped you! Day after day I made your crops grow stronger, cured you and your children from diseases that would bring only death to your door, never asking for anything in return. And this is your thank you? Letting me freeze to death? Throw stones at me?” He pauses, breathing heavy. “I could burn this whole village to the ground! I could kill you with a snap of my fingers! But you know what? I won’t do it! I’m not a monster. You are!” he yells.

He lets the rock fall to the ground, turns towards Arthur.

“You can take me back to your king now,” he says, lifts his head to meet Arthur’s gaze. “If you could ask him to choose beheading instead of pyre, I’d be very grateful.”

All the power coursing through his body and he’s surrendering to Arthur? Why? The initial shock is slowly subsiding and Arthur feels something else settling deep inside him. He wants to know more about this stranger.

“What’s your name?” he asks.

The man looks surprised, but answers.

xxx

Arthur wants to erase the haunted look from Merlin’s face. He’s been Arthur’s manservant for eight months and saved his life many times since. He knows Arthur knows, but they never speak of it. Magic is banned after all. 

Still, Arthur wants to erase the haunted look from Merlin’s face.

xxx

The fire doesn’t give enough warmth to stop their shivering. The blizzard caught them unprepared, forced them to seek shelter in the shallow cave they stumbled upon as they trudged through the woods. 

Merlin’s fingers are red from the cold as he pushes them closer and closer to the flames.

“You’ll only burn yourself this way,” Arthur says and pulls off his own gloves. Merlin protests at first, but eventually gives in, sighing as the bit of warmth envelops his hands. 

“Thank you,” Merlin whispers and locks his gaze with Arthur’s. He’s not thanking for the gloves.

His expression is open, earnest, a bit of hope finding its way in. It stirs that secret feeling in Arthur’s heart, makes him braver. They share their first kiss, lips blue from cold.

xxx

Merlin’s feet are cold when he climbs into their bed, pressing them to Arthur’s calves. Merlin’s everything seems to be cold as Arthur slowly wakes up to his consort’s attempts at using him as his personal bed warmer. 

“What took you so long?” he grumbles, but takes Merlin’s hand and starts rubbing warmth into it. 

“Too many are ill in the lower town.”

That explains the frozen limbs. Merlin got better at keeping himself warm, but exhaustion always turns him into an ice cube. 

Arthur turns around, slots his thigh in between Merlin’s legs and pulls him flush to his body. Merlin wraps around him and gasps when Arthur starts rubbing his thigh against Merlin’s groin. He’s rocking his hips to meet Arthur’s movements in no time, letting out small cut-off moans. It won’t take much now.

He rolls Merlin on his back and grinds harder, chasing his own release as the new position grants him more friction. Merlin’s fingers dig deeper into his back and he stops breathing for a second, his whole body taut as his orgasm overwhelms him. Arthur comes a moment later, Merlin’s fingers combing through his hair. 

Neither one is cold anymore.


End file.
